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Breakfast programs will not be among many extra-curricular programs to stop, as elementary teachers ramp up job action in Niagara.

Teachers at some elementary schools in Niagara already refused to take part in after-school activities such as breakfast programs, sports and clubs.

This, due a continuing labour dispute with the province.

That now becomes official across the region, with work-to-rule kicking in for the public board. Catholic schools are not affected, as those teachers have already reached contract deals.

Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario Niagara local president Sharon Aloian says that means its 1,600 teachers will be told not to participate in after-school things such as sports, club supervision, field trips and administrative duties.

A breakfast program at one Welland School was reportedly briefly cancelled after teachers withdrew their volunteer services.

Aloian said those teachers would be advised breakfast programs are unaffected by the job action.

She said union members will be encouraged to find volunteers to run the programs during the work to rule.

"If all else fails breakfast programs may run on a (teachers’) voluntary basis,” Aloian said. “But they must take place during the 30 minutes prior to the start to the day.”

She said teachers at the affected Welland school “probably don’t know that; I will let (them) know.”

The breakfast programs are also staffed by other volunteers, including parents and area residents.

Teachers who defy the work-to-rule on Monday and continue to volunteer could be subject to union sanctions, Aloian said.

Teacher unions have launched a challenge against the province over Bill 115, claiming it contravenes the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

The bill, known as the Putting Students First Act, was passed by the McGuinty government last month. It imposed contracts on teachers across the province who hadn’t already agreed to a deal.

The Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario (ETFO) has announced that teachers and school staff will be in a position to strike at any of their schools across the province in December, and will give parents 72-hours notice of job action.

However Education Minister Laurel Broten has emphasized the Ontario government has the power to end such a strike.

In Niagara, the public secondary school teachers also rejected a tentative collective agreement reached earlier between their union and the District School Board of Niagara.

That group has begun job action which includes restricting administrative tasks.